THEN: The chapel at Heritage Square

NOW: The Visitor Center at the Museum

Visitor Center

The historic Heritage Square Wedding Chapel, built by Magic Mountain construction team from Disney back in 1956, is now the Moffat Road Railroad Museum’s Visitor Center & Gift Shop. We have fully restored the building and added a copper bell tower. It opened to the public in May 2020 as the Museum’s Visitor Center & Gift Shop.

The Visitor Center includes a gift shop (complete with Lionel and BRIO train sets), plus numerous educational wonders including an interactive train display, historic railroad artifacts, and more.

Restoration Projects

If you would like to volunteer your time and/or donate to the projects, we would be very grateful. To allocate your donation to restoration projects, please mention “restoration projects” in the optional ‘Write a note’ section in the donation form.

Its Journey Here

The Visitor Center came to the museum from Heritage Square in Golden, Colorado. Heritage Square was originally created as Magic Mountain in 1957, just two years after Disneyland’s opening season. The park saw tens of thousands of visitors, even during the construction period. They witnessed live gunfights and playhouse melodramas and took a ride on the Magic Mountain Railroad. Unfortunately, the park closed at the end of its premier season in 1960, but it would eventually evolve into Heritage Square, a family-oriented entertainment area that evolved with elaborate structures and charming buildings including an Opera House, an Alpine Slide and among other things the Wedding Bell Chapel which was once a one-room schoolhouse from nearby Lakewood, CO. While at the square, it regularly hosted thousands of weddings and reception events. 

In 2011, chemical, aerospace, and electronics giant Martin Marietta purchased Heritage Square starting its decline and eventual demise. MM claimed they originally purchased the property as a buffer between its quarry and nearby neighborhoods. In 2016, general manager David Hagerman declared the tiny village an unprofitable liability full of aging and failing buildings. After unsuccessful protests from locals and historians who lobbied to protect the iconic site, demolition began in 2016, however, the chapel was spared. Hagerman himself worked with local historical groups to preserve and eventually relocate the Chapel to our Museum where it sits today as the Visitor Center & Gift Shop.

Family Train Ride

Coming Soon! Our train, that can accommodate both children and adults, is currently being custom built. We hope to have it up and running in 2023! Tickets will be available for purchase inside the Visitor Center for $4 per person. 

Stay tuned for more info about the new family train ride!

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